It crossed my mind the other day that I only seem to get all dolled up when I'm going out somewhere, even if it's just a short trip to the store. For the most part I just wear comfy clothes at home, no make up, and hair a mess. Why though? Shouldn't I be dressing to impress my husband instead of the mass crowds of strangers at the store?
There's a time old tale about how the man will "woo" the lady he is courting; he will buy her gifts, take her out to fancy restaurants, and even go to the chick flick of her choice. However after marriage he stops doing all these things that once won his true Love's heart. Well what about us girls? When we're dating a guy we will go to great "beauty" lengths to look absolutely gorgeous for them. We will curl our hair and shave our legs just for a night of our favorite shows, buy the sexiest of negligee on the chance that they might get a peek, and we pull out the most fashionable clothes we own to catch their eye. Once we're married it seems we get so comfortable with each other that we rarely do anything to impress our significant others. Slowly but surely we figure our sweat pants are much more comfy for our cuddle on the couch and watch a movie nights, it seems too tedious to curl our hair or shave our legs every day, and we eventually push those naughty undies to the back of the drawer. Shouldn't we as women continue, to a certain extent, trying to impress our husbands? Just because we're married doesn't mean we shouldn't be working to keep that flame a blaze. Just as we want our men to pamper and love us we should be doing the same for them. Ever since I had my youngest baby I haven't been dressing up as much, and when I do go out I rarely put on makeup simply because I am so busy getting my three little darlings around that I don't have much time to get all fancy myself. A few weeks ago though, I was hoping for us to all go to dinner once my husband got home, so I took the time to get all fixed up for my him, and unfortunately he had to work late, but when he got home I was at the door to welcome him home, and he stopped and stared at me. He smiled, checked me out, and looked at me and said "wow". It made my heart skip a beat. I loved seeing on his face at that moment how beautiful he thought I looked. I also love doing nice little things for him, weather it be a small little gift from time to time, or a little note in the morning telling him how much I love him. We all like feeling loved and appreciated, and I know in the hustle and bustle of everything we can tend to let these things go, but it doesn't take too much effort to do a little something special for the ones we love. Xoxo
My infant has been teething for quite some time now, and finally the first adorable little tooth has made it's appearance. Since then my baby has been reaching for and eyeballing all sorts of tasty foods. I read that 6 months is the recommended age to introduce solids, but as a mother of three I think you need to follow your baby's clues, and introduce solids when they seem ready.
That being said you should be wise in this decision, because you should still be close to the 6 month mark. With my first two children I was advised to introduce solids at around 4 months, and while we started them almost to the day my oldest child turned 4 months, my second baby was a bit older before we started them. With my youngest I have been reading it's now customary now to wait until your baby is at least 6 months old before allowing them to begin sampling a plethora of delicious tastes and textures, but some places I've read on the Internet that "food before one is just for fun", and while the little jingle is endearing I don't think it can be the universal idea for every baby. I say this because every child is different. Not just their personality, but also in their "firsts". Some babies talk sooner than others, some infants walk before they crawl, and so on. You can't treat each child the exact same when in fact they're just as diverse as we are as adults. This is why I just follow clues my babies give me, and when I feel they're ready to start tasting foods then that's what we do. The first few times they do eat some super mushed up yummies it's gonna be quite messy and you may think that since they're spitting out most of the food that they don't like it or that the faces they make indicate that they're not enjoying the food, when what you need to realize is that these flavors are all new to them. Also they have only been sucking on a bottle or a nipple since birth so the movement of eating "food" is also new to them. We personally start with a food like sweet potatoes. It is nutritious, but also kind of sweet to taste yummy for their first culinary experience. I typically feed them the solids once a day, at dinner time. Since my youngest baby started eating solids just a bit before the 6 month mark we weren't as punctual to eat solids every single day, only when baby gave me clues that they were interested in eating them. Also pay attention to their diapers. When you introduce food make sure you only try one food at a time to give them time to let you know if it irritates their bowels or if they possibly develop a rash. You need to limit the variety at first so you can clue into what caused the poopy mess or what was behind the tummy ache and irritability that night for instance. If baby seems to have handled the first food for about a week ish, then move onto the next food. Also you don't always have to buy prepackaged baby food you know. We mash up veggies from our own dinner, or for example I mashed up a very ripe banana the other evening for baby to mush on. Unsweetened applesauce is another choice. I wouldn't recommend yogurt at this age though. Be smart in your decisions and do your research on which foods you really should wait to introduce to baby such as peanut butter, eggs, and honey. Happy nomming!
Walmart sells this delicious Spicy Southwest Mustard, and it's so yummy. I'm sure Guy Fieri would say "this stuff would taste good on a flip flop", and I think he'd be correct. It tastes scrumptious on a fresh salad in stead of dressing, and just so ya know this delectable treat is low in calories. It's good on a grilled cheese, it's tasty on a ham sandwich, it's divine on hamburgers- which is how we ate it last night, and it's absolutely fantastic as a dip when you mix it together with cream cheese and sour cream to give some tang and to thin the texture out a bit. The recipe is simple really it's just 8oz. of cream cheese, 3 tbsp of sour cream, and then you add the mustard to taste. This dip is mouthwatering with fresh veggies of all sorts, spread on crackers, slathered on a sandwich, and to be honest the possibilities are endless. As I sit here thinking of other foods this tantalizing mustard would taste good on I have to admit that pizza comes to mind. It would be good on roast chicken, and heck it may even work well as a marinade, and even an emulsifier in a vinaigrette instead of your typical mustard or Dijon. Basically try this stuff out it's less than 2 bucks I believe, and it's so versatile.
This sweet lady my Mom used to know gave her this recipe, and although we have since modified it a tad it's still amazingly delicious. Make this. You're welcome.
Ingredients:
6 large potatoes diced (preferably red potatoes, but you could use whatever type you prefer, although sweet potatoes would not work in this soup.)
1 large Spanish onion finely diced
2 heads of broccoli chopped (frozen would work here)
2 cartons of vegetable broth
1 large brick of Velveeta cheese diced
1/2 cup of heavy cream
3 tbsp butter
salt & pepper to taste
crackers for garnish
Begin in a large soup pot by melting the butter and adding in the diced onion on medium heat. Sweat the onions until translucent and add in the potatoes and broccoli and cook for about 5 minutes covered. Next add in your vegetable broth and cook until the veggies are fork tender. Once the potatoes and broccoli are done add in the Velveeta cheese and stir frequently until melted. To finish off the soup add in the heavy cream and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with some crushed crackers. This soup is so warm and cozy on a chilly day. I like to mix it up and sometimes I add in some cooked pasta and other times I substitute half the broccoli with cauliflower. I hope you love this soup!
I have been reading a lot on some breastfeeding/parenting forums that I follow about how after a baby enters the picture Mommy & Daddy find it hard to relight that old flame (sex). If you're feeling this way...you're not the only one.
Having a baby changes everything. You've heard this old saying I'm sure, and it really is true. It will change your life forever- for the better. You have absolutely no idea how hard you're gonna fall in love with your baby the first time you look into their beautiful little eyes, and you'll fall again the first time they smile, when they start to coo, when they set up by themselves, and pretty much any other milestone and not milestone that they meet. That being said, when the new baby comes you can be a bit overwhelmed with the changes in your body, caring and bonding with your sweet little one, and worrying about how filthy your house is (which really should NOT be a concern at the time lol) that we may forget to feed the flame between you and your spouse. Yes the Dr says no hanky panky for 6 weeks, and you really should follow those instructions. Delivering a baby (vaginally or via c-section) can wreak havoc on a woman's body, but that doesn't mean that you can't connect with your partner in other ways. The most important foundation of a relationship is communication. It really is. Your husband could be overwhelmed as well, and it's important for you both to address how your feeling. It can be a relief just knowing your both on the same page. My husband and I didn't have much time alone after each of our babies were born, and even now with an infant we don't have much time for intimacy, but we still find time (even if it's just 2 minutes) to talk about each others days. We also hug as soon as my hubby comes home from work. I don't mean just a hey how ya doin hug, I mean an intimate, close your eyes, breathe each other in, I love you so much, and if we could "push the beds together tonight" we should do it kind of hug lol. My hubby and I also love reminiscing about fun times in the early days of our relationship. We love talking about special trips we took, fun date nights, and our favorite story is when we first told each other we were in love. Talking about these things brings back the same feelings we felt during our courtship. This "kindling" can eventually lead to the kind of intimacy that makes you man and wife. I would say don't worry about rushing the situation. It's important to take your time reconnecting. Think of it as courting again, and just take it one day at a time. Eventually the flame will come back between the two of you. Xoxo
If the telltale sign of a pregnant woman is a lovely glow, then I'd say dark circles under the eyes are indicitive of a NMOTB- New Mommy On The Block.
Whether it's your first child or 5th, sleepless nights just come with the territory. It can be hard to function on limited amounts of sleep, especially when you have older kids, and you don't get a chance to rest during the day when your new baby is napping. The best advice I can offer would be to enlist family and friends to help you out! If possible recruit said helpers in advance, and loosely give them an idea of what you may need them to do for you. I would suggest having your fam and pals help with household chores, so you can focus on bonding and caring for your baby. Don't worry about a spotless house, you should be trying to get some shut eye while the baby is napping. If you have older children to care for, then your key to geting any sort of rest is the help you have to care for your older kids. Have a family member come care for older siblings during the day for a couple hours so you can snooze with the baby. Really and truly though you'll figure out what works for you and your baby in time. When my kids weren't/aren't able to sleep as babies, and even now sometimes, I cradle them in my arms, and we rock in this shabby old recliner while I sing to them. Enjoy the sleepless nights though, because they don't last long. <3
tat·too - /ta too/
Verb
Mark (a person or a part of the body) with an indelible design by inserting pigment into punctures in the skin.
For as long as I can remember tattoos have intrigued me, and for months leading up to my 18th birthday I told my parents on a regular basis that when I turned of age I would be getting tattooed despite their disapproval. They told me "we will kick you out if you get tattooed!". Well being the hard headed "I'm gonna do what I want" teenager that I was, two days after my 18th birthday I got my very first tattoo. It's a small pixie on my left shoulder blade. Very super original...I know lol. At the time though I was like oh heck yes nothing says I'm a bad ass like a fairy. Needless to say I became addicted to getting tattoos, and soon after my first tattoo I planned out my second, and then my third, and now 9 years later I've got 19 tattoos. I'm currently working on two sleeves, and a back piece that will eventually cover up that little fairy tattoo. I'm typically against covering up tattoos, because it's just part of my story. I will forever look at one of my tattoos and remember when and where and why I got it. It takes me back to that specific time in my life, and it's nice reminiscing. I love that my body is a canvas only made more beautiful by the art work adorned on it. I hate the stereo typical questions like "what are you gonna do when you're like 80?" or "why would you do that to your body?". These questions are just plain stupid. That's like asking someone "what are you gonna do when you have gray hair?" or some other question that doesn't even deserve an answer lol. A good response to the "why would you do that to your body?" question is um hello why wouldn't you?? I'm unique, with or without tattoos, but I feel so beautiful with them, and lets face it I do feel a little like a bad ass. Xoxo
oh and my parents never kicked me out after getting tattooed lol
Thank You Tess Munster <3
I've been introduced to something recently, and I have to say I'm beyond pleasantly surprised. There's this movement on the interwebs- maybe you've heard of it? Eff Your Beauty Standards? Well in case you haven't heard of this fabulous love your self mentality inspired by Tess Munster, a beautiful person who is such a wonderful role model to women- and men, and is all about empowering girls of all sizes, but being a voluptuous sweetie herself- caters to the deliciously plump ladies out there, such as myself. Not only am I like head over heels for this movement, I feel personally responsible to carry this over into my own mission of self empowerment for us chubb-a-licious ladies. I follow this darling gal on Instagram, and she recently posted a photo of herself in a t-shirt (of her own design) that says "I'm not PHAT, I'm FAT!". Hell freaking yes. All this beautiful confidence has empowered me to say screw you to all the nay sayers (I know I always have, but recently I discussed my insecurities at the pool) who think I look anything less than stunning in a swim suit. I want to enjoy time with my husband and kids at the pool instead of being insecure about how exposed my body is. You know years ago I never thought twice about wearing a swim suit. As a matter of fact I wore bikini's. That's right I wore bikini's! Chunk, stretch marks, and cellulite galore, and guess what? I couldn't have given a lesser crap what other people thought. I'm not sure what happened in the last 10ish years that has made me cower under large skank t-shirts and slouchy crappy lounge pants over my maw maw bathing suits, but guess what? Not any more! I am beautiful no matter what I'm wearing, and you want to know why? Because of my confidence. It doesn't matter what you're wearing as long as YOU exude confidence. Those around you will see it, and although there will be some who still can't see your beauty- who freaking cares? You don't know those people, and it doesn't matter what they think of the exterior portion of you, it's what's on the inside that counts (I know it's a little cliche', but hey it works here- AND IT'S TRUE!). Basically go check out Tess Munster (Facebook or Instagram and maybe Twitter? not sure), and wear what you want despite what you think others may say. As long as you feel beautiful that's all that matters. Xoxo
